CSB539 Podiatric Anaesthesiology and Surgery

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

This unit will introduce you to the principles of local anaesthesia, including the selection of relevant agents and their safe use and administration techniques for surgical procedures of the foot and ankle, consistent with National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards.  Broad constructs around the principles of podiatric surgery are addressed, including skin and nail surgical techniques and bone and joint procedures in the foot and ankle.  You will develop competencies in assessing patients for administration of local anaesthetics, obtaining consent, local anaesthetic administration techniques and mitigating and managing associated adverse events and clinical emergencies.  Surgical protocols and medicolegal considerations are considered with a particular emphasis on nail surgery.

This is a designated unit which is essential to your course progression. Designated units include professional experience units, units requiring the development of particular skills, and units requiring demonstration of certain personal qualities. If you fail to achieve a satisfactory level of performance in a designated unit, you may be excluded from enrolment or will be put on academic probation. If you fail a designated unit twice within your course, you may be excluded. Supplementary assessment is not available on designated units.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Evaluate patient suitability for local anaesthetic administration and nail surgery procedures, recognising, mitigating and managing associated adverse events
2. Demonstrate safe and competent administration techniques for local anaesthetic injection for foot and ankle procedures
3. Rationalise and discriminate the broad scope of foot and ankle surgical procedures relative to those patients requiring surgical intervention and/or referral.
4. Demonstrate competency in surgical protocols and procedures relating to the nail and reflect through observation
5. Thoroughly analyse medico-legal requirements for invasive procedures of the foot and ankle and procedures to gain consent.

Content

Learning Approaches

In this unit you will gain essential knowledge during lectures and during practicals to further develop your professional reasoning and technical skills for success in your future podiatry career.  

Lectures will provide you with an understanding of the safe and effective use of the local anaesthetics available to the podiatrist and will provide teaching regarding history taking and assessment to determine patient suitability for surgery and common podiatric surgical techniques for the management of various lower-limb complaints, highlighting career pathways available post-graduation in the field of podiatric surgery.

You will engage in practical sessions within a clinical setting to gain exposure to the safe administration of local anaesthetics, aseptic surgical technique and technical skills required to perform nail surgery using simulation models. You will have opportunity to observe surgery at the QUT health clinics and reflect on real-world practices, integrating insights into your learning.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will be provided continuous feedback on a weekly basis with respect to your practical clinical competencies in addition to reflecting on your own performance and recieving feedback from your peers. A range of formative exercises will be used in class including the use of small group discussion, peer review, reflective sessions to review issues that have arisen during the course of practicals.

Assessment

Overview

Each assessment item is designed to measure your ability to apply the knowledge and skills stated in the unit learning outcomes.  The learning outcomes in this unit address elements of the Podiatry Board of Australia’s professional capabilities for podiatrists. The Podiatry Board of Australia recognises these as the minimum threshold capabilities for registered podiatrists. As such, this unit contains specified threshold assessment conditions. You must receive a passing grade in the threshold item assessment to receive a passing grade for the unit.

Threshold assessment conditions
If you do not achieve the pass level for assessment one and/ or two you are able to make one resubmission of this work for the minimum pass level, only when your achieved mark/grade is within 10% (or 1 grade) of the pass level for the assessment item. You are advised to seek feedback on your submission from the unit coordinator prior to resubmission. Supplementary assessment is not permitted if you fail this unit because of a failure to meet the special conditions of assessment.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Practical Competency and Logbook

In your role as a podiatrist, you will be required to safely administer local anaesthetics and perform minor surgical procedures. During your practical sessions you will be assessed on your ability to safely demonstrate the protocol for the safe administration of a local anaesthetic for a digital block and your ability to demonstrate competency in surgical protocols and procedures relating to the nail using simulation models. You will be required to complete a logbook during your practical sessions that includes both self and peer assessment and reflection on your progression towards demonstrating safety and competency in the required skills. In addition, your supervisors will sign off that you have successfully demonstrated competency in a series of required skills throughout the semester.

The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited during this assessment.

Threshold Assessment:

You must be able to safely demonstrate that you are capable of following protocols for the safe administration of a local anaesthetic and performing nail surgery in a simulated environment to ensure you will be able to do so in a clinical environment with a patient. You will have 8 weeks of practical sessions to demonstrate competency in each of the required skills. If you fail to meet the passing requirements for any of the skills by week 8 you will have one opportunity to reattempt and successfully demonstrate competency in the skill. If you are not successful in this reattempt, you will not meet the unit requirements. 

Assessment: Objective Structured Clinical Exam

You will be assessed on your ability to apply your understanding of the unit content in simulated clinical cases in an Objective Structured Clinical Examination. This examination will assess your ability to review patient information and evaluate suitability for local anaesthetic and surgical procedures, determine procedures indicated and refer when indicated, recognise and mitigate risk and manage adverse events and to comply with medico-legal requirements when delivering local anaesthetic and performing surgery. 

The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited during this assessment.

Threshold Assessment:

You must be able to demonstrate that you can safely make decisions relating to clinical scenarios around local anaesthetic administration and surgery in the foot and ankle in addition to identifying and managing emergent clinical scenarios connected to the use of local anaesthetic and surgery to ensure you will be able to do so in a clinical environment. 

Assessment: Examination (Theory)

You will be required to complete a written examination, including multiple choice, multiple answer and short answer questions, to demonstrate your knowledge and skills in the application of anaesthesia and surgery.  

The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited during this assessment.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Requirements to Study

Requirements

Mandatory requirements for practical activities in QUT Health Clinics - failure to comply with these requirements will result in your exclusion from practical activities:

Blue Card: A blue card confirms that you have passed a screening of your criminal history (Working with Children Check) and have been approved to work with children and young people. For more information on the blue card and how to apply please visit the QUT website (https://qutvirtual4.qut.edu.au/group/student/jobs-and-careers/get-work-experience/blue-cards).

Vaccine Preventable Diseases Evidence: It is a mandatory requirement for students to be vaccinated against a number of vaccine preventable diseases. For more information, please refer to Faculty of Health's website (https://qutvirtual4.qut.edu.au/group/health/faculty-of-health).

First Aid Certificate: You are required to have a current Senior First Aid Certificate before you begin your placement. There are a variety of First Aid certificate courses that are delivered by approved providers and duly authorised under the Ambulance Service Act 1991.

All documentation needs to be provided to Work Integrated Learning (mailto:health.wils@qut.edu.au) before the commencement of the unit.

Specific disclosure: Students will be required to disclose specific personal or medical information where:

A medical condition or medication use may increase the risk of injury to yourself or others (e.g. use of sedative medications or communicable disease).

Adjustments may be required for a disability, injury, health condition or pregnancy (e.g. access to facilities, manual tasks such as scalpel work or orthosis fabrication, working with chemicals).

Please seek advice about disclosure from your Disability Advisor. Refer to Disability Services for information.

Further information regarding policies and procedures, such as health and safety, risk management, confidentiality, intellectual property, disclosure and insurance, are available via the Health Students Placements site.

Blue Card

A blue card is required to complete this unit. A blue card confirms that you have passed a screening of your criminal history (the Working with Children Check) and have been approved to work with children and young people. For more information on the blue card and how to apply please visit the QUT website.

Resources

Resource Materials

Recommended text(s)

Coughlin, M.J. (2014). Surgery of the foot and ankle. [electronic resource]. (10th Edition). Philadelphia: Mosby.

Levy, L.A., and Hetherington, V.J. (2006). Principles and practice of podiatric medicine. (2nd Edition). Brooklandville, Md: Data Trace Pub Co.

McGlamry, E.D., and Banks, A.S. (2012). McGlamry's comprehensive textbook of foot and ankle surgery. (4th Edition). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Metcalfe, S., and Reilly, I. (2010).  Foot and Ankle Injection Techniques: A Practical Guide.  London, Churchill Livingstone.

Thomson, T., and Freeman, D. (2002). Assisting at podiatric surgery: A guide for podiatric surgical students and podiatric theatre assistants. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingston.

Risk Assessment Statement

This unit will involve clinic-based sessions in on campus clinic facilities. You are required to read the Clinic Policies and Procedures documents, and sign forms indicating that you have read and understood the material contained in these manuals. Please direct any questions regarding safe working procedures to the unit coordinator. Protective clothing outlined in the Policies and Procedures documentation must be worn at all times in the laboratories (eg face mask, goggles/face shield, lab coat) along with closed in footwear and the clinic uniform during all clinic sessions. This unit involves contact with patients, and risks associated with the clinical environment (e.g. scalpel injury and exposure to patients with a blood borne virus) are outlined in the policies and procedures manuals for podiatry students. You are expected to comply with these procedures and guidelines at all times. 

Course Learning Outcomes

CS44 Bachelor of Podiatry

1. Critically evaluate and integrate specialised discipline knowledge of body systems, pathology, podiatric medicine and therapeutics in real-world settings.
   Relates to: Objective Structured Clinical Exam, Examination (Theory)
2. Implement safe and effective assessment and management of patients, using highly developed clinical and technical skills, exercising reflexive, ethical, sustainable and culturally responsive practice, within regulatory and legal frameworks.
   Relates to: Practical Competency and Logbook
3. Uphold, promote and advocate for the culture and practice of safety, quality assurance and risk management in diverse health care environments and populations, while recognizing personal accountability and responsibility for sustainable and culturally safe systems, and embracing diverse perspectives and innovative health care solutions.
   Relates to: Objective Structured Clinical Exam, Examination (Theory)
4. Leads self and others in reflective practice and lifelong learning, recognizing and addressing own biases, seeking and responding to feedback, engaging in evidence-based practice, fostering a culture of peer support and mentoring, alongside a curious, agile, resilient and entrepreneurial mindset.
   Relates to: Practical Competency and Logbook

CS46 Bachelor of Podiatry (Honours)

1. Critically evaluate and integrate advanced specialised knowledge of body systems, pathology, podiatric medicine and therapeutics in real-world settings.
   Relates to: Objective Structured Clinical Exam, Examination (Theory)
2. Implement safe and effective assessment and management of patients, using highly developed clinical and technical skills, exercising reflexive, ethical, sustainable and culturally responsive practice, within regulatory and legal frameworks.
   Relates to: Practical Competency and Logbook
3. Uphold, promote and advocate for the culture and practice of safety, quality assurance and risk management in diverse health care environments and populations, while recognizing personal accountability and responsibility for sustainable and culturally safe systems, embracing diverse perspectives and demonstrating emergent leadership of innovative health care solutions through research.
   Relates to: Objective Structured Clinical Exam, Examination (Theory)
4. Leads self and others in reflective practice and lifelong learning, recognizing and addressing own biases, seeking and responding to feedback, contributing to evidence-based solutions, fostering a culture of peer support and mentoring, alongside a curious, agile, resilient and entrepreneurial mindset.
   Relates to: Practical Competency and Logbook